UPDATE: Erden and Louis arrived at Waikiki in record time of 54 days and 3:45 hours on 28 July 2016, setting a new Guinness World Record in the Classic Pairs class of rowboats on that route.

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I was asked to row from California to Hawaii as part of the Great Pacific Race, which begins June 4th, 2016. The route is from Monterey Bay to Diamond Head buoy by Waikiki. Louis Bird will be my partner on our two person classic rowboat. We are named the "Sons of the Pacific," and we hope to reach Waikiki by late July. 

Louis is the son of Peter Bird. In a way, he will be able to better understand his father's motivations by doing this ocean row. This article about Peter on the Ocean Rowing Society website mentions Louis. Peter was a pioneer of ocean rowing and Louis was a toddler when Peter was lost at sea in 1996 trying to row from Vladivostok to California. When I launched on the Pacific from Bodega Bay in 2007, all of his friends from Sonoma County became my instant supporters, then we placed Peter's logo on the side of my rowboat which I carried on all my ocean crossings since.

This Pacific row will be a profound experience for both Louis and me, helping us find deeper meaning in this sport. My job will be both to ensure his safety to make sure that Polly Wickham, his mother does not receive another dreaded phone call, and to hold space for Louis to grieve as he gains a better understanding of his father’s motivations.

I will be using a deLorme tracker in addition to the YellowBrick tracker that the race organizers will provide. The race will provide a tracking page where you will be able to follow all boats. We hope to reach Waikiki by the end of July or in early August.

Erden.